Bridge to Terabithia 2
by Sketcher222
Summary: I OWN NOTHING. This story will not feature any characters from the first book/movie except MAYBE Ms. Edmuns. This is a complete separate story.
1. What we found together

"What is all this crap?" asked Abby. I had been wondering the same thing myself. Maybe this had been why Sparks had led us here, to this tree house in the middle of the god forsaken woods. "There's nothing here but empty Oreo boxes and dried up markers." she snickered. I looked around, and that was all I saw. To tell you the truth, this was the first time I had ever seen a tree-house outside of a movie. It wasn't how I expected one to look, this wasn't at all like the ones you see on television. I liked it though, it seemed cool. It kind of reeked though.

"I wonder who built this, it looks like nobodies been here since Kennedy was gunned down." Abby had a way with words, and sometimes it could get irritating, other times it would be funny. Right now it was funny.

I laughed and began to rustle through all the junk I saw. Boxes, empty soda cans, everything you would expect to see in a prehistoric clubhouse.

"Hey Abb," I said. I called her this all the time, and she used to get annoyed then got used to it, and even began to like it. "Maybe we could fix this place up, it could be a cool place to chill." Abby looked at me and smiled.

"Kale, you couldn't figure out how to put together your clarinet, what makes you think you can build a tree house?" That one hurt, I'm not going to lie.

"Well, I don't see you making a pyramid of playing cards either." She laughed at that.

"We can try, sure, maybe with help from y--" She paused. "My dad or someone…" I realized what she had accidentally done, and I got nervous for a second and didn't respond, instead I just stood there looking at her.

"Sorry, I forget, I…sorry."

"It's okay." I said. "You haven't known me for very long, so it's all right that you forgot, and it was almost three years ago, so I'm not…don't worry." I must have sounded like a complete idiot. She smiled at me again, nervously. There was an awkward silence, and I knew I had to be the one to break it.

"Why don't we see what else is around here?" I suggested anxiously.

"Okay! Sure" she replied. For a moment, I couldn't help but gaze at her long black hair blow over her face in the wind, her eyes glimmering like rubies. I really liked this girl. We had just met a few weeks ago, after I moved to Virginia from Ohio. I didn't particularly like the new school, with the exception of a nice music teacher named Mrs. Edmuns. She appeared to be around fifty years of age, but she wasn't harsh or strict like the other teachers. It was in her class that I had met Abby. It was strange really, because she was a popular girl and I was the new kid. For some reason, however, she decided to make small talk with me and we became good friends. Fifth grade was looking good so far, as I found my self climbing high on the social ladder, far past where I was at my old school. I would never have expected that.

Anyway, Abby was giving me a confused look as I stared at her, so I quickly turned away and made my way down the tree-house. We continued to walk, and began to hear sounds of water.

"Is there a creek around here?" asked Abby.

"Sounds like it…" I said sarcastically. She playfully punched me in the shoulder and ran ahead.

"Hey, wait up!" I yelled and ran after her. She giggled and started running faster.

"Woah!" I heard from ahead. I caught up to her and we both stood in awe at what we were looking at. And it wasn't the creek. A bridge of some kind hovering over the creek caught our eyes. There appeared to be some sort of insignia or something at the top, but we couldn't make out what was written or drawn on it, it looked like it had been eaten away at or simply faded out.

"This is soooo weird!" said Abby. I noticed that she only talked girly when she was exited about something. "This is a weird place."

"No kidding." I said under my breath as I examined the wood the bridge had been made out of.

"Should we try crossing it?" she asked, ignoring my sarcasm.


	2. Why can't I rest?

Thank god it was Friday. That's all I can say. School was killer, fifth grade was no breeze like some people make it out to be. Now, when I say this, I'm not trying to sound smug or ignorant, but…I'm pretty bright. Most of my friends are in lower classes then me, and therefore get less homework. For the record, being intelligent doesn't make school any easier, it bugs me how people misconstrue the subject like that. If you're quote on quote "gifted", you're actually given less of a break than the dim witted students. Sure, you can still do well, but it requires plenty of studying and hard work. The biggest stress for me is pre-algebra, a class that hardly anyone in Lark Creek takes until at least seventh grade. Math is my gifted subject, I suppose, which is unfortunate since I hate it with a burning passion. I'd been given loads of homework for the weekend and wanted to get it over with, so I lied down on my bed and started working, holding the worksheets against a history textbook. My dog sparks rested sound asleep on the corner of my bed.

As much as I wanted to get the math homework over with, I couldn't help but let my mind wonder as to who may have built that tree-house and bridge out in the woods. It was obviously someone who lived around here, but how long ago was it that they built those things? Now, me and Abby had walked past the tree-house to find the bridge, so we obviously lived on the other side of the creek than whoever had built the thing. Who did I know that lived on the opposite side of the woods than me? Man, they must have graduated by now. From the looks of sign on top of the bridge, nobody had been there in over ten years. Then again, rain could have easily washed that paint away.

The tree-house seemed really cool to me, and I was thinking that me and Abby could go back there tomorrow and fix it up, maybe get rid of all the drawings and trash inside and make it our own little place. It could be nice to spend some time alone with her, as opposed to school or home, where I'm teased by my sister about a relationship with her, or at school where we're other children are always socializing with us. As much as I enjoy spending time with my other friends, there's just something about Abby that none of them have, something that makes me really care about her. I wouldn't go so far as to say that I love her, although most of my friends and my family believe that to be true. If she likes _me _in that fashion, I'm not sure, and frankly, I don't care.

The clock hit ten before I could finish my math, and my mom had come in and told me to go to sleep. _"Great, I'll have to spend time on this tomorrow"_, I thought to myself, but didn't bother arguing with her. The last thing I needed right now was to be screamed at.

My mom hadn't been the same since my father died. It was a shock to both of us, and I can't honestly say that my sister and I have gotten over yet, let alone my mom. I still remember that afternoon, and I remember me, her, and Katie sitting at the dinner table, biting into our steak, assuming that Goerge Niley had simply decided to stay late at the office. The most disturbing memory I have was the look on my mother's face when she picked up the phone and heard the news. Our lives changed that day.

Well, as much as I wanted to stay up and finish my homework, it had been a long day and some sleep sounded good right now. I shut the lamp off and rested my head on my pillow, making the best attempt I could to clear my thoughts and rest my mind.


	3. Never saw this coming

"I've got to take this phone out of my room…" I thought to myself. This wasn't the first time the ringing had jolted me out of a deep sleep, a peaceful sleep. Lately, I was having some trouble getting decent rest. I'd learned not so long ago that the name of the illness is called "insomnia", and my doctor informed me that I have a mild case of it, that it would soon go away. He assured me that it was nothing more than a minor case of depression (most likely caused by my father's death), that had been triggering the lack of sleep.

The clock read nine…much earlier than I'm used to waking up. Yes, I admit that I'm a bit of a lazy child. Now, however, I'm awake, and once I'm awake, I'm awake for good. There is no natural snooze button in my body.

Rushing to grab the phone before the next obnoxiously loud ring could arrive, I rubbed my eye with my free hand and managed to let out a "Hello?".

"Kale! Guess what?" It was Abby. Not only could I tell by her distinctively pitched voice, but her personality as well. Who else would be so full of life this early on a weekend?

"Hmm…" I mumbled, half asleep. For some reason this had sounded like a "what" to me.

"Kale? Did I wake you up?" sounding more proud than guilty.

"Uh huh. I mean, no…no. I was awake." Yeah. Like she would buy that.

"Kale…you sound like a zombie." She giggled. "Anyway, come on over." Abbie had a way of straight up telling me what to do, as opposed to asking me.

"Weren't…uh…weren't you going to get a ride with Mandy to go out to the lake or something?" Mandy was one of her best friends and an okay friend of mine, although I found her a bit self centered and trouble to be around. Since Abby was asking me to spend time with her, I figured Mandy had cancelled on her like she had done so many times before.

"Cancelled, you know her. She broke her foot or something. Anyway, I'd rather hang out with you."

Suddenly I heard a loud puffing sound from the phone. Then, there was a short silence between the two of us.

"What was that?" I asked.

"I thought that was you." said Abby in a confused voice.

_Aw great… _I thought, knowing exactly what it was. This was going to be embarrassing…

"Katie, off the phone!" I yelled, angry that Abby would have to hear this.

I heard nothing, no sound of the phone being rested on the receiver. What, was she seriously trying to pretend that she wasn't listening, thinking she could trick me into believing it was only my imagination? Did she believe that I'm that stupid? This infuriated me. Then an idea came to my mind.

"Hey, is your sister on the line?" asked Abby, sounding annoyed.

"No," I said. "I thought she was for a second but I guess it was just a bad connection or something." I explained, while walking towards Katie's room quietly. Abby laughed.

"Yeah, why would she be listening in…" I think Abby had an idea of what I was attempting to do.

"She wouldn't." I said. "She doesn't do stuff like that, she usually treats me with-"

I paused, about to slam open her door.

"RESPECT!" I screamed, and kicked her door open and saw her sitting there with the phone up to her ear. I hung up the cordless I was using, and clenched it with a tight fist. Katie looked scared, shocked, and at the same time, amused. She had gotten in a habit of invading my privacy like this, it definitely gave her kicks. At fifteen years old, she had nothing better to do I suppose. Now it was out of control.

"What's wrong with you!" I hollered at her.

"I wasn't listening in Kale, just chill out…"

"You're lying!" I shouted. Again, how stupid did she think I was?

"Maybe I was I guess, sue me."

"Why do keep pulling this crap?"

"Wha-"

"Listening to my phone calls, reading my mail, don't you have anything better to do?!"

"Maybe I think your girlfriend and you are funny when you babble bull shit all day." she said, clearly mocking me.

"If you're gunna keep sneaking off with that brunette pop-tart then maybe I'd like to get to know her a 'lil before I become a freaking aunt!"

"Shut the hell up!" I yelled, chucking the cordless phone into the floor underneath me, making a crash so loud it could surely wake the dead. The batteries popped out and rolled practically out of the room. I wasn't sure, but it was possible I'd damaged the tile floor. Footsteps followed that impulse, and I knew it had been my mother approaching from downstairs

"What the fuck is going on!" she yelled, approaching me from the stairs.

"She--oh, forget it, like you'd care…" I sighed as I rambled.

I asked what's going on!" she repeated, with a voice that reflected a tad of sadness along with infuriation and perhaps shame

Nothing, forget it mom," Kate began. "Kale was just having a little tantrum because he got a D in English." She grinned.

couldn't believe what I'd heard. Katie had sworn not to tell our parents about that. We'd made a deal about a week ago, that I'd raise the grade before they could see how badly I was doing, and that she wouldn't tell them in the meantime. The only reason Katie had even known about that is because she rummaged through my backpack and saw my interim report card. I know you're supposed to love the hell out of your siblings, but I honestly felt comfortable telling myself I truly hated my sister at this point. Our mother was incredibly strict when it came to school. I shut my eyes and waited for it.

"What in god's name, Kale? Is this true?" Again, she sounded more pissed than upset.

"Mom, just listen…" I attempted to explain with little hope. "I…"

"You're not leaving this goddamn house for anything but school until your next report card arrives!" she howled at me. "Not to see your friends, play sports, or even run off with your hasty little girlfriend!"

Now I was angry and frustrated. What she had just said was like a slap in the face; your first thought is to slap the person back, but you manage to brush it off with mind over body. My body had won this time around.

"Oh, all right mom!" I screamed at the top of my voice. "You can sit on the couch and drink half the day because you miss Dad, but if I get a bad grade in some useless English class, it's the end of the world! I get it now! Congratulations, the therapy finally paid off, you finally--" but I was cut off by her hand slapping across my face. Honestly, it hurt like hell. I didn't know what to think of it, I wasn't sure if it had really even happened.

Glaring up at her, then to Katie, I could see the horror in her face as I felt the blood travel down my upper lip, in slight disbelief over what had happened in the last two minutes.


End file.
